See Also: holy(dictionary)
holy war(encyclopedia)
Holy See(dictionary)
holy(dictionary)
holy war(dictionary)
holy day(dictionary)
Holy(medicine)
holy water(dictionary)
Trinity, Holy(encyclopedia)
Holy Synod(encyclopedia)

holy (iou)



holy adjective & noun.

A. adjective.
Of a thing, place, etc.: kept or regarded as sacred; set apart for religious use or observance; consecrated. OE.
G. Vidal The holy capital of the Middle Kingdom.
Of a god or icon: (to be) held in religious veneration or reverence; spec. in the Christian Church, free from all contamination of sin and evil, morally and spiritually perfect (cf. sense 4). OE.
Bible (AV): Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
(Of a person) (regarded as) specially belonging to, empowered by, or devoted to God; (of a thing) pertaining to, originating from, or sanctioned by God or the Trinity. Formerly also, (of a person) religiously devoted to (anything). OE.
S. Morley The players..seemed..to be regarding their work as a kind of holy calling.
b. gen. Of surpassing excellence; having mysterious power. Also with intensive force (colloq.), absolute, complete. L16.
G. Keillor If any of his children had done it he would have given them holy hell.
Pious, devout; esp. of godly character and life, saintly, morally and spiritually clean; colloq. sanctimonious. OE.
Jonathan Ross She said again, in that holy voice, [etc.]. absol.: T. Arnold For a moment it must overwhelm the mind of the holiest.
Used with following noun as an oath or expletive, as holy cow!, holy mackerel!, holy Moses!, holy smoke!, etc. M19.
Special collocations, comb., & phrases: holier-than-thou adjective (colloq.) self-righteous, characterized by an attitude of superior sanctity. Holy Alliance Hist. an alliance formed between Russia, Austria, and Prussia in 1815 on the basis of proposed common Christian principles of government. holy basil an Indian basil, Ocimum sanctum, regarded by Hindus as sacred to Vishnu. holy bread (a) the bread provided for the Eucharist; the bread consecrated in the Eucharist; (b) ordinary bread blessed and distributed after the Eucharist to non-communicants. Holy Church: see CHURCH noun. Holy City (a) a city held sacred by the adherents of a religion, esp. Jerusalem; (b) Heaven. Holy Communion: see COMMUNION 5. holy Cross the Cross on which Jesus died; Holy Cross Day, the festival of the Exaltation of the Cross, 14 September. Holy Family the young Jesus with his parents (often with St John Baptist and St Anne) as grouped in art. Holy Father: see FATHER noun. holy fire erysipelas. Holy Grail: see GRAIL noun2. holy grass a fragrant grass, Hierochloe odorata, which in Prussia was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and strewn on church floors. Holy Innocents' Day: see INNOCENT noun. holy Joe (orig. Nautical slang) a clergyman; a pious person. Holy Lamb: see LAMB noun. Holy Land [translating medieval Latin terra sancta, French la terre sainte] W. Palestine, esp. Judaea; a region similarly revered in religions other than Christianity. holy laugh a laugh by a person in a state of religious fervour. holy loaf (now rare) = holy bread above. Holy Name Roman Catholic Church the name of Christ as an object of formal devotion. Holy Office Hist. the Inquisition. holy orders: see ORDER noun 2a. holy place the outer chamber of the sanctuary in a synagogue; in pl., places to which religious pilgrimage is made. holy roller slang a member of a religious group characterized by frenzied excitement or trances. Holy Roman Empire: see ROMAN adjective. Holy Rood arch. (a representation of) the Cross of Jesus; Holy Rood Day, (a) the festival of the Invention of the Cross, 3 May; (b) = Holy Cross Day above. Holy Saturday Saturday in Holy Week. Holy Scripture: see SCRIPTURE. Holy See: see SEE noun1 2b. holy souls the blessed dead. Holy Spirit the third person of the Trinity; God as spiritually active; = HOLY GHOST 1; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit: see GOD noun. holy terror: see TERROR noun 2b. Holy Thursday Anglican Church (arch. or Hist.) Ascension Day; Roman Catholic Church Maundy Thursday. holytide arch. a holy day or season, a day or season of religious observance. Holy Trinity: see TRINITY. holy war: waged in support of a religious cause. Holy Week [after Italian la settimana santa, French la semaine sainte] the week before Easter Sunday. holy Willie a hypocritically religious person. Holy Writ: see WRIT noun 1. Holy Write: see WRITE noun 1. the Holy Innocents: see INNOCENT noun. the Holy Sacrament: see HOLY adjective. the Holy Sepulchre: see SEPULCHRE noun 1. the holy table: see TABLE noun 13(b).
b. noun.
That which is holy; a holy thing. OE.
holy of holies (a) Jewish Antiquities the inner chamber of the sanctuary in the Jewish Temple, separated by a veil from the outer chamber; (b) an innermost shrine; a thing regarded as most sacred.
A holy person, a saint. LME-M17.